“A vampire fairy,” laughed Luke. “You wouldn’t want one of those on top of your Christmas tree.”
“Shan’s leading us to the square,” said Cleo, as the black cat raced ahead.
Resus glanced over his shoulder as Twinkle joined Doug to lumber after them. “I say we follow him!” he quipped.
As they reached the central square, the trio stopped dead. Dozens of the street’s residents were milling about, each sporting razor-sharp teeth. At the sight of the uninfected children, they turned and slowly advanced upon them.
“There’s no way out!” said Cleo.
“Yes, there is,” said Resus. “Up!” From inside his cloak he pulled a length of rope with a metal grappling hook on the end and threw it onto the roof of Everwell’s Emporium. With a satisfying clink it lodged firmly behind the chimney. “Come on!” he shouted, tugging on the rope.
Luke didn’t move. He was rooted to the spot, staring into the advancing crowd. Among them, fangs glinting in the moonlight, was his dad. Luke started towards him but Resus pulled him back. “Are you crazy?”
“But, my dad …”
“We’ll find a way to help him once we’re safe,” said Resus. “Now, climb!”
Luke went first, followed by Cleo with Shan tucked under her arm. Resus landed a kick into a vampire bog monster’s snarling face and brought up the rear.
Luke was just pulling himself up onto the roof when he heard Cleo shout, “The book!” Resus made a grab for Skipstone’s Tales of Scream Street as it fell from Luke’s pocket above him, but he missed. The book landed with a clatter among the ravenous residents below.
“I have to get it!” yelled Luke as Cleo and Resus dragged themselves up onto the roof beside him. Luke’s dad was already climbing up the rope.
Resus plunged his hand into the bag of garlic and pulled out a clove to throw. Luke grabbed his wrist. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“If your dad bites you, you’ll be a vampire werewolf — virtually unstoppable,” said Resus. “You could end up really hurting him, or worse!”
Luke sighed and took the garlic from Resus. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. As the clove hit Mr Watson’s forehead, he screamed in pain and fell from the rope, landing among the hungry crowd.
Resus pulled up the rope and stared down at the swarm of Scream Street residents, all reaching up towards the trio, calling for their blood. He caught a flash of silver as Skipstone’s Tales of Scream Street was kicked around.
“We’ve got to get them away from the book, or Mr Skipstone will be trampled!” he said, throwing more of the garlic at the crowd below. Each time the vampire residents were hit, they screamed in agony, clawing at where the garlic had made contact with their skin.
“It’s hurting them, but they’re not leaving!” shouted Luke over the cries of the hungry horde. “We’ll have to find another way!” As he spoke, Shan ran past him and leapt off the rooftop.
“Shan!” screamed Cleo, but the small cat was already on the ground, racing away across the square. The mob turned and chased after him as the smell of fresh blood reached them.
“He’s done it,” said Resus. “He’s leading them away!”
Before long only one resident, a gargoyle, remained in the square. He bent to retrieve Skipstone’s Tales of Scream Street.
“Excuse me, sir,” called Luke. “That belongs to me!”
The gargoyle looked up, his face rippling as he transformed back into the gangly shape of Dixon. “Not any more, it doesn’t!” the ginger-haired figure teased. “Uncle Otto will double my pocket money for finding this!” Giggling to himself, Dixon skipped off towards the gates of Sneer Hall.
Luke slumped back onto the roof. “We’ve lost the book,” he groaned.
“And Shan,” added Cleo.
A smile slowly spread across Resus’s face. “But,” he said, “I think we’ve found the witch’s blood.”
The grappling hook caught in the guttering on the third attempt. “Got it!” grinned Resus, pulling the rope taut. It stretched between Everwell’s Emporium and the house on the end of a nearby side street. In the sky between the two, a glittering glass vial hung, magically suspended in the air.
“Up above where deals are done,” said Resus. “That was the first part of the clue. There used to be a market in the square every week before Sir Otto banned it. Deals were done then.”
“I still don’t get the next part,” admitted Cleo. “Shining like a distant sun.”
“The sun is a star,” explained Luke. “From below, the vial of blood would look like any other star in the sky. We only saw it because we were up here.”
“The perfect hiding place,” said Resus. “In full view of everyone!” He secured the other end of the rope around the chimney.
“I still don’t see why it has to be you that goes out there to get the relic,” complained Cleo. “I’m the lightest.”
Resus glanced at Luke, who was trying hard to ignore the cries of agony that indicated another resident’s recruitment to the vampire cause.
“I want you to keep an eye on Luke,” said Resus. “It’s not easy to accept that your dad is a vampire.”
“You manage OK,” said Cleo.
“I’ve had longer to get used to it than he has,” Resus smiled.
Cleo squeezed his hand. “Be careful!” she whispered.
Resus nodded. He walked to the edge of the rooftop and glanced down. Clutching a broom handle to balance himself, the vampire stepped onto the rope.
Luke watched with concern as his friend walked slowly towards the vial of blood. He hadn’t wanted Resus to put himself in danger to get the relic, but the vampire had insisted.
“Hey!” Resus called. “If being a vampire doesn’t work out, there’s always a career in the circus waiting for me!”
“Just concentrate!” Luke hissed.
Resus stuck out his tongue in defiance and spun on the rope like a ballerina before continuing.
He reached the spot directly beneath the vial and, holding the broom handle in one hand, stretched up with the other to grab it. His fingers grazed the bottom of the vial teasingly, but it remained suspended in the air.
“I can’t … quite … get it,” said Resus. “I’ll have to stand on my toes.”
“Be careful!” called Luke, gripping the rope.
Resus tucked the wooden pole under his arm and stepped up onto his toes, reaching with his free hand. His fingers found the glass jar and he pulled it towards him, breaking the spell that had held it there for so long.
“I’ve got it!” he shouted triumphantly. “One witch’s relic coming up!”
Suddenly the rope wobbled violently and Resus had to thrust his arms out to keep his balance. The wooden pole fell, clattering to the ground. Luke looked over the square to the other end of the rope.
“It’s the gutter!” squealed Cleo. “It’s collapsing!”
Section by section, the old gutter holding the hook tore away from the other rooftop. The rope jerked hard again and Resus slipped. His stomach hit the rope and he bounced back into the air before falling to one side. Grabbing the rope with his free hand, he swung high above the ground.
“Resus!” yelled Luke. “Pull yourself along the rope to me!”
“But, the blood …” called Resus, still clutching the vial.
“Never mind the blood!” Luke shrieked. “Just get back here!”
More of the guttering fell away. “Resus!” Cleo screamed.
“No!” roared Luke as the rope dipped dramatically. Resus clung on tightly, but Luke could see the terror in his eyes.
“Luke!” the vampire shouted. “Catch!” Swinging his arm, Resus threw the vial of blood towards his friend. Luke leapt to his feet and just managed to catch it before it could smash onto the roof of Everwell’s Emporium.
Suddenly there was a splintering sound from across the square. The gutter opposite finally collapsed and Resus fell.
Luke and Cleo scrambled to the edge of the roof a
nd stared disbelievingly at the vampire’s body as it lay in an expanding pool of blood below.
“He’s alive,” said Eefa Everwell as she laid Resus on the shop counter and dabbed at the gash on his forehead with a cloth. “He’s lost a lot of blood, though.”
“It should have been me,” sobbed Cleo, tears soaking into her bandages. “I’m the one who does stupid things and gets hurt — not Resus!”
Luke put his arm around the mummy’s shoulders, watching as Eefa cleaned Resus’s wound. He and Cleo had slid down the rope to reach their friend, keeping a watchful eye for any Energy-infected resident who might take the opportunity to grab a quick snack. There had been no garlic left to protect them.
Hammering on the shop door, Luke had insisted that Eefa open her mouth and show him her teeth to prove she hadn’t been turned into a vampire too. Now all he could do was watch as the witch tended to Resus.
“Is there anything you can do?” he asked nervously.
Eefa shrugged. “If my blood supply was running, I could replace what he’d lost and cast a charm on the plasma so that it matched his blood type.”
Luke pulled up the sleeve of his top and offered his arm to the witch. “Take some from me.”
Eefa shook her head. “The spell won’t work on fresh blood. His system would produce antibodies to fight it and it could make his condition a lot worse.”
She gazed down at the unconscious vampire. “Even a small amount of older blood would do, but we just don’t have any.”
Luke pulled the witch’s vial from his pocket. “Yes, we do.”
Resus opened his eyes and looked around him. He was lying on the floor of Everwell’s Emporium, a wall-hanging depicting the battle of Saint George and the Dragon covering him like a blanket. Cleo and Luke stood over by the counter, deep in quiet conversation with Eefa.
The vampire tried to sit up and discovered a pain in his head like he’d never felt before. In fact, now that he’d moved, it seemed to be in every part of his body. “That’s the first time I’ve ever had an all-over headache!” he announced.
Luke and Cleo hurried over, delighted to see their friend awake.
“How are you?” asked Luke.
“My aches have got aches of their own,” smiled Resus. “What happened?”
“I’ll tell you what happened!” shouted Cleo. “You’re a total idiot — that’s what happened!” She began to slap Resus’s chest with her bandaged hands. “You should never have been out on that rope! It should have been me!”
“Whoa, whoa!” cried Resus as Luke pulled Cleo off him.
“I thought we’d lost you,” sobbed Cleo, hugging Resus tightly. Every muscle in the vampire’s body hurt from the embrace, but he decided to keep quiet.
“You cut your head pretty badly,” explained Luke. Resus reached up and felt the bandage around his forehead. “You lost a lot of blood.”
“Blood!” said Resus, remembering. “Did you catch the witch’s blood?”
Luke nodded. “You made me run for it, though,” he smiled.
“Where is it now?” asked Resus.
Luke felt the empty crystal vial in his pocket. “Somewhere safe,” he said, exchanging a glance with Cleo.
“What’s going on?” Resus asked.
“Well,” began Luke, “like I said, you lost a lot of blood …”
“And the supply is still disconnected …”
Resus’s eyes widened as realization dawned. “I’ve got witch blood inside me?” he demanded. “How could you let that happen?”
“We didn’t have much of a choice!”
“But … witch blood,” repeated Resus.
“What exactly is wrong with having witch blood inside you?” came Eefa’s voice from across the shop.
“Nothing — if you’re a witch!” snapped Resus, throwing the wall-hanging to one side and getting unsteadily to his feet.
“There wasn’t time to send out for supplies,” said Luke. “You were badly hurt. We had to do something straight away!”
“Eefa used a spell to expand the blood from the vial so that it replaced what you had lost,” added Cleo. “She saved your life, Resus. You should be grateful!”
“I am grateful,” said Resus. “Of course I am! It’s just that …” He took a deep breath. “There was precious little of me that was genuine vampire to begin with. Now even some of that has been replaced.”
“It was either lose the witch blood, or lose you,” explained Luke. “Besides — just about everyone in Scream Street is more of a vampire than you right now!”
Resus ignored Luke’s attempt to cheer him up. “You needed that blood,” he said. “You needed it to open a doorway out of Scream Street.”
“I know exactly where it is when I need it,” replied Luke.
“But how can you get it back?” asked Resus.
Luke shrugged. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Resus stared. “You gave me the blood that you need to take your family home without knowing whether or not you could get it back?”
Luke handed Resus his cape. “You’d have done the same for me.”
A feeling of light-headedness swept over Resus and he was forced to grip onto a nearby shelving unit for support. “You shouldn’t be up and about yet,” insisted Eefa. “You need rest.”
“I haven’t got time to rest,” said Resus. “Sir Otto has Skipstone’s Tales of Scream Street and we need to restart the blood supply to save my dad.”
“My dad too,” added Luke. “Before he gets too much of a taste for it.”
“But the spell I used isn’t perfect,” said Eefa worriedly. “There could be some unwanted side effects …”
Resus took the witch’s hand in his. “I’ll be fine,” he promised. “And thank you for everything. But we’ve got to get inside Sneer Hall.”
“That might not be as easy as it sounds.” Cleo was standing at the shop window, staring out into the central square. Luke and Resus joined her. The pack of vampire rats was back, hungrily lapping up the pool of blood Resus had left on the ground.
“I suppose I should be annoyed,” said Resus. “That is my blood, after all.”
“How are we going to get past them?” asked Luke. “They’re right between us and Sir Otto’s mansion.”
“There’s something else out there,” said Cleo, her face pressed against the glass. A dark figure crept out of the bushes and crossed the square. “It’s Shan!”
The cat looked directly at Cleo, then over at the vampire rats. Pulling its ears back flat against its head, it mewed softly.
“No!” screamed Cleo as the rats spun round. Within seconds the pack was on the cat, biting, tearing and scratching. Shan’s tortured screams echoed around the square. “He didn’t fight back!” she said. “He just stood there and let them—”
A sudden flash of red light stopped Cleo in her tracks and forced her, Luke and Resus to shield their eyes. When they looked back out into the square, a large cat with burning red eyes and sharp fangs was walking towards the Emporium.
“I know what he’s doing!” yelled Cleo and she dashed for the shop door. The bat above the doorway screeched as she raced outside.
“CLEO!” roared Resus as he watched her approach the vampire cat, hand held out nervously. He held his breath as Shan licked at her fingers then, to his amazement, sat beside the mummy and softly rubbed up against her leg.
“It’s safe to come out!” called Cleo joyfully. Resus and Luke cautiously joined her beside Shan.
“Are you sure about this?” asked Luke as he and Resus picked their way through the vampire rats. The rodents ignored them, instead lining up in ranks behind Shan and Cleo.
“Perfectly sure,” smiled the mummy. “They’re on our side now.”
The trio faced Sir Otto’s mansion, a huge, sprawling building that took up an entire side of the square. “So,” said Resus, “what’s the plan?”
Luke cracked his knuckles. “We get inside Sneer Hall, rescue Mr Skips
tone, find the missing piece of the blood filter, restart the blood supply and find a way to turn all the residents back to normal.”
Resus fastened his cape back around his shoulders. “Not much, then?”
Luke shook his head. “Nah!”
The gates to Sneer Hall buckled. Luke smiled. It was incredible what the combined weight of almost a thousand rats could achieve.
The trio marched for the main doors of the mansion, aiming to open them in much the same way, when a figure appeared from behind a bush. It was Doug, his fangs dripping red with blood. “Dudes!” he hissed.
“What’s he doing here?” demanded Resus.
“Do you think it could be Dixon in another shape?” asked Cleo.
“If it is,” said Luke, “then who’s that?” Twinkle appeared from around the corner of the house, smacking his lips. One by one the rest of the Scream Street residents appeared, all with glazed, bloodthirsty expressions on their faces.
“I don’t understand,” said Cleo to Resus. “Your parents are vampires, but they don’t act like this.”
“My parents’ vampire Energy has been passed down over generations,” explained Resus. “This lot have only just been infected — it’s new to their systems, which is why they’re so thirsty for fresh blood.”
“But where are they getting it from?” asked Luke.
“I believe I can answer that!” bellowed a voice from above. Sir Otto and Dixon were leaning out of a first-floor window. “The freezers here are incredibly well-stocked!” The landlord tossed a hunk of beef to the ground, where the vampires pounced upon it, fighting to be the first to feed.
Resus watched in horror. “You’re satisfying their bloodlust!” he shouted. “Pushing them deeper beneath the Energy. That’s just cruel!”
“Maybe,” shrugged Sir Otto, “but they make such a better choice of guard dog than my usual breed. You’ll have to find your way past them if you want this.” He waved Skipstone’s Tales of Scream Street teasingly.
Blood of the Witch Page 4
